Soul Manifest
by KiloWhisky-NovemberHotel
Summary: Always by your side, Dæmons are your soul manifest in animal form. Idea taken from His Dark Materials series. No pairings.


**_AN. Kripke owns my mind, Crowley owns my soul and Dean owns my heart._**

**_Dæmon's belong to Phillip Paulman (Pulman? Forgot how to spell:/ ). Google it if you're not familiar. Not to be confused with demons._**

**_Set during season 5_**

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><p><strong>Lincoln, North Dakota 2009<strong>

The Wendigo's Dæmon was exactly as Sam expected it to be, an animal representation of the human soul but like the creature itself this was twisted and warped, damaged beyond repair but still functional. It was as if it had been ripped apart, limb by limb and reassembled clumsily with only evil to animate it. He noticed it bore resemblance to a vulture but blind, with elongated talons and grey, wrinkled gooseflesh where feathers should have been, its wings however were still shining black, silent and swift. The creature it belonged too was identical but instead of a bird template this one was a parody of a human, a really, really ugly human. The hunter was struck by these trivial thoughts as it came lunging towards him, talons swinging like blades at his face, he ducked only to be met with the shining beak of the creatures Dæmon, striking dangerously close to his neck as it flew at him, he winced preparing for impact but a strangled cry signalled the beasts retreat. In front of him stood what looked like a fox on stilts. Comically big ears, spindly black legs, red fur standing on end and needle sharp teeth snarling with a ferocity uncharacteristic of her nature, Amina was a force to be reckoned with. Sam's heart swelled with pride as he looked at his Dæmon but the feeling was short lived, Amina may have been keeping the savage Dæmon at bay but the Wendigo was still alive and bloodthirsty as ever. Sam took hasty aim with his sawn off and the monster howled in rage, charging again with added fury. He retreated a few steps and fired another round to little effect, and then he was out of ammo. He felt a pang of pain as Amina's ear sustained another tear. The Wendigo took his moment of distraction to score a crucial blow to his chest; blood bloomed from his shoulder to the bottom of his rib cage. Sam winced I can't keep this up for much longer, where the hell is Dean! His brother had the flame thrower. Sam and the creature continued to trade blows, his powerful hits useless compared to the Wendigos speed and claws. Amina was on her last legs, the Volture Dæmon was almost as big as her and its wingspan put the large canine/vulpine to shame, she yelped and took all weight of her front paw as the creature plunged its cruel beak into her delicate leg, she snapped at it defiantly but felt blood between her toes as it drained into the cave floor. Sam felt tears spring to his eyes with their combined pain and could only watch as the Wendigo prepared to land a final blow, he shut his eyes as Amina shut hers as Wendigo and Dæmon raised their talons. Suddenly there was the sound of the creatures' anguished cries, roaring flame and vultures screeching, the cave smelt of burning, decayed flesh and Sam felt unconsciousness begin to pull him away from it all. "Sammy!" the panicked, cry sounded far away and Sam was able to catch one last glimpse as a golden blur leapt at the throat of the Wendigo's already fading Dæmon, black blood spraying in all directions.

It was a 7 hour drive to Bobby's and Dean was swearing every second of it. Sam lay stretched out on the back seat, blood drying on leather. Amina was sprawled next to his, her head resting protectively on his chest though she was fast asleep, had been since the got Sam into the car. Deans Dæmon , Bennet kept looking back and whining, black ears pressed flat against her skull. She licked tentatively at her sisters ripped ear, cleaning the blood away as she had always done after a particularly damaging fight. Dean just focused on the road, only stopping for gas. He ignored the cassette player. Sam had been unconscious the whole time and the bleeding still hadn't stopped completely, it occurred to Dean that the Wendigos claws were far from sterile, they have even been laced with venom. Sam seemed to be fading, fast. When they were still 4 hours from Sioux Falls Bennet broke the silence "We need Lori and Cas" Deans jaw clenched, the two had avoided each other like the plague since Cas had more or less kicked his ass after Deans attempt to hand himself over to Michael. Bennet also growled at the memory, she still sported a cut on her cheek from his Dæmon's anger but she swallowed her pride "for Sam"

That was all that was needed to be said. Dean pulled over at the nearest rest area and pulled out his phone. A familiar recorded message greeted him "You have reached the voice mail of: I don't understand. Why do you want me to say my na-Dean" The man sighed in relief when the angel finally answered "I'm at Ellendale, North Dako- oh…" Castiel was standing just centimetres away from him, waiting for an explanation whilst staring into Deans eyes as if the meaning of life could be found there. This thought amused the hunter; Cas probably already knows the meaning of life. Bennet couldn't help but wag her tail when she spotted Lorena, the dogs incredible blue eyes merely blinked back at her. As the angel lacked people skills, his Dæmon lacked dog skills. Canine Dæmon's were the most loyal and dedicated of all types so it was only right that they would be the type commonly associated with soldiers. Lorena had long ago told Bennet that the classes of angel could easily be identified by their Dæmon. The soldiers were canine, messengers were birds, and moths with cupids, the archangels on the other hand were anything. It was a little known fact of angels that their forms had not truly settled but remained changeable as human children, however out of respect for rank they chose not too. One thing all angel Dæmons had in common no matter their rank or form was that they were all pure, striking, and preternaturally white… the only exception being fallen angels, they were black as pitch. Dean thought about this as he looked at Lorena, her jet black fur made him uneasy… even guilty? The sacrifice Castiel and Lorena had made for him, for humanity had forever marked them as outcasts of both worlds. A rough bite to the leg shocked Dean out of his thoughts and he cleared his throat "Its Sam, we were ambushed by Wendigos in Lincoln" Castiel looked worried "I'm not sure if I can still-" Dean cut him off impatiently "I don't care what you think, my brother needs help or he's gonna… I'm not sure if we're gonna make it to Bobby's Cas" Deans voice was almost pleading. Lorena whined quietly in response and Bennet perked her ears in surprise, it was rare for Castiels Dæmon to betray such emotion. "I will see what I can do but you have to understand, I've been cut off from heaven. Just getting here drained my power immensely, I'm not sure I'll be any help to you at all" Dean just nodded and hastily led the way back to the Impala, Bennet trotting at his heels.

"Why didn't you just take him to a hospital?" Castiel examined the younger hunters sleeping form as Lorena sniffed at Amina's fur and seemed to bristle "poison…" the Dæmon rarely spoke but when she did it was with significance. "That's why, how can I explain that to them, A poisonous dog attack?" Bennet growled as she looked at her sister, the Maned wolfs ear was bleeding when it should have clotted hours ago. "I stitched him up and staunched the bleeding, even disinfected it with something more than alcohol but he keeps bleeding" Dean said, pulling back the blanket thrown haphazardly over his sleeping brother. He winced at the sight but Castiel and his Dæmon seemed unfazed, The angel studied him for a moment "I can remove the contamination but he will have to heal on his own" "what? Will that work?"

"Assuming it hasn't already seeped into his blood and no organs are damaged. Sam should recover"

"Then what are you waiting for? Lay some mojo on him and lets get to Bobby's!"

Castiel didn't bother to ask what a Mojo was, instead he stepped forward and pressed his hand into Sams wound. The hunter jerked awake with a strangled yell. Dean jumped forward on instinct and Bennet tensed with a whine. Castiel ignored it but Lorena had her eyes closed, betraying the strain on their grace. The point where the angels' fingertips met Sams blood seemed to illuminate for a moment and the young hunter lay back down, slumped back into unconsciousness. Castiel stepped back "it is done." He sounded breathless and hoarser than usual but Dean had already rushed forward to examine his brother, already the colour was returning to his face. Lorena leaned heavily against her angel, eyes closed. Dean had just turned back to thank him when Castiel swayed on his feat for a moment and slumped against the Impala, murmuring something about how fine he was."woah woah! Cas! Stay with me buddy!" Dean caught him before he fell. Bennet's eyes were wide with worry as she looked from Amina to the now unconscious Lorena. "Just help me get them in the car" Dean growled, dragging the angel around to the passengers side and dumping him unceremoniously in the front passenger seat as Bennet dragged his Dæmon by the scruff.

Dean drove the rest of the night, knuckles white on the steering wheel as he resisted the urge to wake Castiel. The angel snored but he was too worried about his brother to drown the sound out with music and risk waking him, so instead the hunter just huffed and kept his eyes on the road. Bennet had her head out the window, ears back against the wind. Dean didn't attempt conversation, she was confined to the back seat with Sam and Amina and it made her irritable. Around half an hour from their destination Castiel awoke with a groan, his hand on his head "That was unpleasant" "Your snoring's unpleasant" Bennet growled from the back seat, Dean smirked "Where's Lori?" As if in response something moved in the angels' pocket, Dean was instantly sorry he asked. It was unsettling to see a full grown man's Dæmon still changing shape, even if he was an angel of the lord. "She found that form uncomfortable in such a confined space" Castiel looked out the window as if the passing woodlands were a land of wonder to him, Lorena as usual stayed silent, letting her angel speak for her. "She never likes to settle any more…" Dean and Bennet exchanged glances at the angels cryptic words and the car fell silent. It stayed like that all the way to Singers Salvage Yard.

"What in the name of…? What the hell have you idjits done now!" A wiry, grey jackrabbit sat perched on Bobby's front perch. Her ears focused on the boys like deer in the headlights.

Bennet may have been 85lbs to Clara's 9 but the stern glare of Bobby's Dæmon made her want to whine like a puppy. "You know that lone Wendigo we were tracking up in Lincoln? Yeah turns out it was actually 3 and they were using poison to drain their victims" Dean slammed the car door behind him and went to get Sam out. Instantly Clara softened and called over her shoulder for Bobby to come help. Castiel whispered something in his Dæmon's ear and she became a wolf to mimic Bennet, her jet black coat putting Bennets sandy fur to shame. The two Dæmon's managed to support a drowsy Amina between them and led her up onto the porch without a word. Dean lightly tapped his brothers cheeks "that's enough beauty sleep princess, get out of my car" Sam pulled a face in his sleep and tried to bury his face into the leather seats but something made him jerk upright with a gasp, the link between him and his Dæmon was being strained. Dean and Castiel automatically felt guilty, they should have been more sensitive. Still, it did the job and with their help Sam and Amina were able to make it inside and collapse on the weathered old couch in Bobby's living room. Clara immediately dedicated herself to fussing over Bennet and Lorena, the black wolf sitting rigid and awkward as the other two quarrelled over hunting methods.

All in a days work really.

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><p><strong><em>Yeah sorry about the abrupt finish. I had more done but the computer didn't like that and decided to crash… a few times.<em>**

**_I'll probably leave it at that, unless youuuu review ;)_**

**_Lorena- Means sorrow._**

**_Bennet –Blessed_**

**_Amina- Faithfulness, honesty (see its funny cause Sam lies a lot :D… I am so lame)_**

If the chappies continue this one has idea's for Meg and Crowley and Lucifer :3


End file.
